Military Drones
Research papers on military drones discuss the military's practice of using drones for military strategy. Research illustrates that the use of drones has increased greatly over the past couple of years and drones will be the future of battles.
Emerging technology is often employed by the military. The Wright Brothers gave demonstrations of the capabilities of airplanes, and within a decade of manned flight, airplanes were changing the outcome of World War I. Unmanned combat aerial vehicles, also known as drones, are proving to be equally as revolutionary. Military drones have the following advantages:
- Military drones are cost effective
- Military drones are efficient weapons
- Military drones can be employed around the globe with ease
Humanless Combat Drones
Military drones have the advantage of not using a human pilot at the immediate controls. Indeed, military drones can be safely operated from thousands of miles away. The military argues that such remote operation saves lives by not risking a pilot in a combat situation. Opponents claim that such depersonalization makes killing enemy combatants or civilians easier, akin to a video game.
The MQ-1 Predator drone is the most commonly used unmanned aircraft by the U.S. military. Drones have been used in the War on Terror extensively, in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Yemen, among other areas. Predator drones provide a constant level of intelligence and surveillance with the ability to deliver a lethal package against an enemy.
Military drones are having unforeseen political consequences for nations that employ them:
- The United States has suffered serious backlash by conducting drone strikes in various nations.
- Some worry about the effect on operator's psychology, by removing them from the direct horrors of war.